June 07, 2011

In all honesty, most of my previous raw baking experiments have been anything but successful. As delicious as the ingredients normally are, I just haven't been able to get the right consistency, texture or look. I take my hat off to those talented raw bakers out there who can make the most amazing raw creations!

Desperate times, however, call for desperate measures and so I found myself thinking of raw baking once again. I knew cashew cream would have to be somehow incorporated into it, since my last experiment with the cashew cream cheese was so successful. I had frozen cranberries in the freezer and pecans were an obvious paring for the red winter berries.

These cupcakes must be the best of my raw baking yet. The crust is superbly delicious and not too sweet and the cranberry cashew cream seems like a perfect filling. These certainly give me some contentment after all the previous failed attempts!

1. To make the crust, place the pecans in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the dates and the maple syrup and pulse until the mixture starts to come together.

2. Press the dough into silicone cupcake molds. Set aside or refrigerate until ready to be filled.

3. Drain the cashews and place in a food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped. Add all the other ingredients and pulse for a few minutes or until the mixture is smooth and thick. Scoop the filling into the cupcake molds. Refrigerate until ready to serve. They taste delicious even the following day!

Oh yummo! I must say, I was a tad disenheartened by my first raw baking attempt too...raw cheesecake. Huh. Since then, I've been quite determined to avoid raw food, but these cupcakes just look so tempting!!!

Hi Maria! Pecan crusted! I already love this hearing about the crust! Your baking pan is pretty used up and I feel shame on my nice clean baking pan! Hopefully after I start baking more this year, my baking pan will look nice like yours! Great picture as always!!

I've never tried raw baking but im definitely interested. This doesn't look too difficult and as i've just started to enjoy baking this recipe is right up my alley. I love cranberries and cashews, I can imagine how tasty these cupcakes must be! Not to mention how pretty they are as well!

These look like a great thing to try out when my vegetarian friends visit.A large part of the small population where I live are health food lovers. Some of them are allergic to nuts, but with all the various diet requirements and food snootery, one has to draw the line and sometimes say,"Eat it or wear it!" Still, I am always on the lookout for "healthy" sweets that don't taste like rabbit food. This looks yummy and I'm going to give it a whirl. :-)

this is completely different from anything i've ever done--i've not hopped aboard the raw train yet. even though there are lots of things that make me hesitant, i want to compliment your colors and flavors--these cupcakes simply HAVE to be delicious!

Ooh! I'm just back from holiday - catching up on my usual haunts - and I'm glad I checked in here! I've never tried to make raw cupcakes despite seeing a few recipes, so perhaps these will work out well form me too!